“An airship...” Grim started. “The Aigaion was a massive airship?”

“Yes. A terrifying one at that.” I shuddered as memories began to surface in my mind. The ever-so-familiar horn replayed in my head over and over...

“So... an airship was what set the public in panic, burned Las Pegasus, and destroyed most of our aircraft production at the time." He gives a tired sigh.

"No wonder ponies were afraid. A giant flying machine will scare a lot of people, and cause a lot of damage. When I first heard rumors about it, I thought nothing of it. I thought it was just wartime anxiety getting the better of some ponies.”

“Now you know. You know what the Aigaion is.” I explained. “Now, can me and Sunshine leave? I gave you what you want.”

“Just wait a moment. I’ll return.” I attempted to raise a hoof in protest, but Grim quickly left the room, leaving me alone to my thoughts.

The afternoon sky was just now starting to change color, transitioning to early evening. About 5 hours or so have passed by, trudging slowly along feeling like an eternity. How much more time do I have to spend separated from Sunshine? It still didn’t make any sense to me why S.M.I.L.E. wanted this kind of information, or what their intentions are. They were proving to be morally ambiguous thus far.

I sighed as I continued to stare through the window. No noise was heard. Just a silent, muffling ambiance filled the room. The walls around me remained monotone.

Then, the door opened again. This time, there was another pony I didn’t recognize, followed by Grim leading him in. This pony was a Unicorn Stallion, with a white coat and blonde mane.

Grim remained standing on his hooves, while his acquaintance sat in the chair in front of me.

“Okay. This gentlepony here is going to assist us today by giving us a clear illustration of what this airship looks like to the best of his ability.” Grim pointed a hoof to the scrawny-looking stallion, who waved once at me. “I want you, to the best of your ability, describe what the Aigaion looked like. In-depth and in detail; What material was it made from, what shape was it, how long or how wide—anything that’ll give us a clear picture.”

The scribe pony in front of me remained silent and stoic. A common trait I’m seeing a lot of with these ponies. He levitated a piece of paper, and a pencil, ready for me to begin. “Whenever you’re ready.” He spoke softly.

“Can I leave afterward?” I asked once more, with a hint of indignation. The scribe pony looked down on his paper, silently. Grim just sighed.

“That depends on how well you can describe the airship. But, we’ll see.”

I gazed at the scribe pony, expecting him to ask questions, starting with what it was. But he was silent, insisting me to proceed first. I took a deep breath.

“... Well, it was…”

Huge!

That was the first thing I thought of when I saw the Aigaion with my own eyes. It was Massive. Bigger than Canterlot Castle, and higher than a city, with the length of about 2 arenas if they were put together side by side. In short, all it was was a giant, metallic, rod-shaped balloon with big guns.

The second thing I remember from when I first saw the Aigaion was me sitting inside the cockpit canopy staring at the strangely haunting beast in the sky with eyes wide open. From that moment when I saw the words Aigaion embedded at the front side of the metal hull, I felt something else. Something I was all too familiar with: Fear. I was underneath a literal flying giant. Its size was more than enough to strike terror in the hearts of many. But the ever droning sound of the horn that it was blaring was what made feel terrified. It had an overwhelming presence of power and terror.

It was a monsterous titan of a vehicle. I swallowed hard.

“What in the fuck is that!?” I heard Bigs yell in my right ear.

“It’s… It’s a… oh god.” Lucky stuttered.

“A monster...” Naya quietly spoke.

“All squads, regroup over the harbor, now!” Spitfire barked, as the AA guns from the city and the fleet opened up on the flying behemoth. Flak decorated the sky around it, doing nothing to the structural integrity of the ship. A few allied planes attempted to shoot at the balloon with their cannons, which also did no damage. Those same planes were later swarmed by a hail of bullets that erupted from the mounted machine guns on the Aigaion. They were easily shot down. The Airship seemed virtually indestructible.

Whatever remained of the allied planes began to gather over the harbor, loitering over the continuous wildfire that has enveloped Las Pegasus. We all formed up in a big cluster, flying away from the behemoth.

“How the fuck are we supposed to fight that thing?!” A stallion exclaimed.

“Everything we’re throwing at it seems to be doing nothing. We’ll have to strategize on this.” Spitfire started. “All planes who are critically damaged, low on ammo, or fuel, return to base now. The rest who aren’t, climb above it as high as you can. Nimbus, Dash, draw fire from it as we try to get above it. Understood?”

“Roger that! Nimbus, on me!” Another stallion spoke.

“The rest of you, climb high! Get above it and stay in the gunners’ dead zone!”

“Garuda, on me. Accelerate and climb behind me!” I ordered.

“Affirmative!” Naya replied.

One by one, planes began to hastily move in different directions. About 12 planes descended below the Aigaion, as mounted machine guns opened up on them. They all evaded and twisted, barely dodging the bullets. About 10 more planes were heading northeast to return to base. And about 30 more planes, my team included, began to ascend upward above the metallic beast. As I was climbing higher above the Aigaion, I noticed that the top of the balloon was also metallic, much like the bottom. And it also had massive artillery-like guns fixated to it, with more machine guns as well. Soon, they began to open up on the planes above them.

“Everypony, spread out and evade!” Spitfire screamed, as allied planes began to spiral downward and twist away from the behemoth. My team and I flew away from each other in different directions, to minimize the potential casualties. I stayed above it, Naya beside me, while Lucky and Bigs were diving down below it.

“Aigaion to Strigon Team, prepare to scramble. Launching sequence initiated.” I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. Strigon is here too?! That’s fucking fantastic.

“Strigon to Aigaion, we copy. Ready to launch on your mark.”

I performed a barrel roll to my right, dodging incoming fire as I attempted to strafe one of the machine gun emplacements fixated atop the airship. The 20 MM Cannons opened up, disintegrating the nest into a burning heap.

“Uh… guys? Something is happening.” Lucky called out. “It’s opening its underbelly, it looks like giant bay doors.”

Shit! If they get over the city and drop more ordnance, Las Pegasus could be completely wiped out with the fire burning down most of the city anyway. I twisted my plane to the right, to avoid the AA fire. I descended downward on one of the batteries firing on another plane, and unleashed more tracers upon it, earning a small explosion from the gun. Another battery destroyed. Now they had their attention fixated on me, as I was descending downward below the underbelly.

“Doors are open, begin launch sequence!”

“Roger. Strigon, are you ready?”

“Affirmative.”

“Beginning launch, in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… LAUNCH!”

Suddenly, dozens of wide trident shaped planes were spiraling downward, launched form the huge set of doors. As soon as they were fast enough, they elevated upward and leveled out.

“What is that? A-are they launching fighters from that ship?!” A mare called out.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Spitfire cursed.

“Nothing’s working! Our guns don’t do fuck all to that thing!”

“Night Light,” Naya called out. “It’s the Reaper’s Emblem…”

“I know!” I replied bitterly.

My eyes were fixated at the giant airship in awe and horror. The Strigon Squadron, one by one, was launching from the bay doors. I let out a yell in frustration, slamming my hoof against the cockpit glass. Were the bombers incinerating Las Pegasus really not enough for them?!

“Strigon lead to Aigaion, launch successfully. Engaging hostile aircraft.”

“Roger that. Sweep the skies clear of enemy combatants. We’ll provide covering fire.”

The green tracers emitting from the Aigaion AA guns showed no sign of stopping. In fact, after that last transmission, it seemed to have increased. I flew downward, gaining a good distance between me and the flying beast. Our bullets weren’t doing anything to its hull. The only damage that it sustained was the 2 gun batteries being knocked out of commission. There were various Spitfires that turned away from the Aigaion to engage the enemy Strigon squadron.

We have to change our tactics. Until I could find some kind of weakness against the airship, there was no hope to achieve any serious damage. The only thing I could do was destroy it’s smaller batteries, though I don’t know if that’ll do much help. The Strigons certainly won’t make our job any easier. I have to drag them out of the equation first.

But how? They were no strangers to combat. I was badly damaged in the first confrontation with them, and in my second one I barely survived! I couldn’t just engage them head-on, especially with a fucking airship!

I contemplated my chances. We had the numerical advantage and the better aircraft. But they were just more skilled. And with their air cover, it would be significantly more difficult. I had to get them as far away from the Aigaion as possible.

“Garuda team, dive below the airship and rendezvous on me! We need to clear the sky of these Strigons. Follow the yellow smoke!” I ordered, as I flipped the aeronautic smoke switch, making my wings trail yellow powder in the air.

I descended below the Aigaion and leveled out, still a good distance away from the airship. It’s guns were opening up on all planes around it, regardless if they were friendly or enemy. One by one, I saw planes erupt into flames, and spiral out of control towards the ocean below. Casualties will no doubt be high.

“Sergeant Spitfire, this is Corporal Night Light, I have a plan!” I called out on lead channel.

“What is it?!”

“The airship seems too durable for us to handle! We’ll be out dry before we can even put a dent in that thing!” The ever-so-ominous horn sounded from the airship again, sending chills up my spine.

“We need to focus on the fighters, clear the sky of them first. Draw them away from the airship. Get them as far away from the AA cover as you can! Then we can fight on an even playing field!”

Spitfire was silent for a while, which felt like an eternity. The sky was filled with smoke and bullets, and was tinted with an orange light by the fires from the city below. More planes from the mainland were incoming from the East. Reinforcements had arrived.

I looked behind me, and saw Naya, Lucky, and Bigs form up behind me. Their planes were filled with holes on their wings and body, same as mine. But we were still airborne, and as long as we were, we were still combat effective.

Finally, Spitfire broke the silence, speaking to everypony.

“All planes, fall back and separate. Regroup over the harbor and goad the enemy to follow you there! Out!”

Though visibility was poor, I saw the cluster of planes swarming around the airship, and noticed that small groups of them were peeling away. The Strigon planes didn’t pursue, however. They shot their guns at the retreating aircraft, failing to score any hits.

“They’re falling back. They can’t do any damage to us!” I heard the Eavesdropper speak.

“We’ve got the initiative. Strigon Team, intercept them and finish them off.”

“Understood. Strigon 2 through 5, peel off and defend the mothership. The rest of you, form on me and break hard on my signal.”

There were multiple planes that were still loitering around the Aigaion, but a majority of them finally peeled off to give chase. They bought our bait.

As long as we were out of range from the Airship’s guns, we had the advantage.

“They’re pursuing now! Wonderbolts, we got hostiles incoming bearing vector 268!”

“Acknowledged! It’s time for some payback. Give them all we got!”

The Spitfires and Strigons turned to face each other, closing in fast. Soon, they opened fire, and all of them scrambled to chase one another. My team was closing in on the chaos.

“Stay outside of the cluster, and let them come to us!” I ordered my squad. “I’ll lure them over, all of you will help intercept. Stay out of their range, and attack when their guard is down.”

As I broke hard to the right, towards the cluster of aircraft, several of them veered off of the furball to intercept me.

I left the aeronautics smoke switch flipped down as I engaged, my wings spewing out yellow vapor as I flew forward being as much of a nuisance as possible. The Aigaion is barely visible in my peripherals with each maneuver I complete. As soon as I was in gun range, and as I was lining up my crosshairs, I pulled the trigger again on any unsuspecting foe. A few tracers connected to one of the Strigons, losing a wing as it was going down.

“Strigon 10 is going down. Who shot him down?” I heard a voice in my left ear call out.

I inverted and performed an Immelmann as I was chasing another Strigon, sending more golden tracers downward to them. They also connected, but it only achieved smoke emitting from its engine. I gave chase, as I continued to fire at him. It rolled and elevated erratically, in an effort to evade me.

“I got one on my six! 7, get ‘em off me!” another voice called out.

The Strigon started to ascend upward towards cloud cover, in an attempt to stall me out. But I was a step ahead of him. I pressed the trigger again leading him on just before he went inside the clouds. They turn faster when elevating upward, so I aimed higher.

This time, the bullets struck the fuselage in perfect symmetry, causing the whole plane to explode into unrecognizable shards. Through the thick canopy, I could see the light of a burning fuselage.

Another kill. I performed a Split-S to regain my speed after climbing upward for that kill.

“Strigon 9 is down too. I didn’t see him bail out!”

“Who is that damned plane with the yellow smoke? They shot down 2 of us already! Target that aircraft now!”

Now I have their attention.

I leveled my plane and glanced behind me, noticing three of the Strigons breaking off and giving chase to me. I plunged downward at a slight angle, gaining speed without losing too much altitude.

“Garuda Team, they’re on me now. Get ready to intercept! Naya, Lucky; you two will Sandwich on the enemy. Bigs, I want you to go from above, dive down on whoever is chasing me.”

“Sounds like a plan," Naya replies. "You ready Lucky?"

"Roger, as I'll ever be."

I saw my friends ahead of me shift into position, ready to rain bullets on the enemy. Two of them broke off to the right, flanking the enemy aircraft. Only one of them stood their ground, accelerating towards me. I glanced back behind me, and saw Naya and Lucky approach the enemy group from their right.

“Spitfires inbound, 2 o'clock high!”

“Roger, break when they engage!”

“Naya, Lucky, they know you’re coming. Get ready!” I warned immediately afterward.

I looked ahead and saw Big’s plane zooming closer. I inverted the plane downward and heard cannons fire from behind me, mixed with sounds of metal being shredded and annihilated.

I looked back as I pulled back on the stick and saw one of the Strigons trailing black smoke, fleeing to the west.

“Dammit! They hit me good!” I climbed back upward again, barely able to dodge the incoming retaliation from the Strigons by only a few meters.

Naya and Lucky descended downward upon one unsuspecting foe, both firing simultaneously, and down he goes with a missing wing.

“Number 3 is gone too? Who the fuck are these guys!?”

I banked hard right, to chase the plane trailing black smoke. It seemed unaware of my presence. By the time I opened up on him with my guns, he began to erratically swerve left and right to evade. I was steadily gaining on him. He banked hard right on me, trying to evade, but my plane was turning faster than his. As my crosshairs were leading in front of him, I pressed the trigger again. The black smoke that he was trailing now turned into a raging fire that enveloped the aircraft.

“Shit, shit! my craft is in flames! I have to bail!” As I watched the burning plane, a single black changeling sprung and flew out of the cockpit and veered away as fast as he could.

I was tempted. I wanted to chase him.

But I thought of it as a waste of ammo.

“Strigon 7 bailed out, he’s been shot down!”

“FUCK! We’re losing the initiative! Strigon team, fall back and regroup near the Aigaion! We can’t afford to lose any more!”

I turned my head behind me to find no other Strigons chasing me. leveling out, I then turned my head northbound and saw the furball of planes dissipating one by one. There were several fireballs of former aircraft hurling toward the ocean floor. All of them seemed to be allied planes.

Have they not killed a single Strigon?

“All planes, something’s happening. The enemy’s regrouping!” Spitfire called out in my right ear through the cacophony of voices crying out, as the Strigons were fleeing back to the safety of the Aigaion. The first few that arrived simply loitered around the airship, ready and waiting.

Just then, I noticed tracers flying from the surface below me heading straight towards the Airship.

When they collided, several explosions rocked the port side, though it remained airborne. It had charred spots on where the shells struck. More came in and struck several other spots on the underbelly.

Thats when I noticed the shells came from the warships that were still in the harbor, firing their big guns upward toward the enemy airship. A few of their shells flew past the airship, missing it entirely, but the few who did connect caused a good amount of damage. The Strigons that were loitering around the airship bobbed and weaved to avoid the enemy fire.

“Enemy Warships are opening fire on us. Strigon Team we’re activating the shield! Activate your inhibitors now!”

... Shield? Inhibitors?

“Affirmative. If we can trap them all, they’ll be easy pickings.” I glanced to my right to find the allied planes flying in towards the airship carelessly.

There, suddenly piercing the din of battle, a new sound was heard all around in the air, as if the earth itself was crying out. Though, it emitted from the Aigaion. It sounded like a humming, low and distant at first.

But it kept increasing volume, more and more until it sounded like something would explode.

“Roger, beginning Manifestation Process.”

This felt bad. Everything about this felt bad.

“Everypony, get out of there now!” I yelled out in lead channel to warn the others.

“What’s?” Spitfire's voice replied as several planes started to turn away, to avoid whatever was happening with the Aigaion… But some were too late.

At that moment, there was a deafening ‘CHOOM!’ sound, and I saw a spherical, blue bubble slowly zoom out around the ship, emitting from the center of its hull. The planes passed through easily, not hitting anything, but tried to turn around to evade otherwise in a panic. When the sphere itself stopped expanding, it’s saturation intensified as a wave of energy resonated off of it and locked it in place.

Some planes that managed to turn back were trapped.

Then, to my horror, I saw the planes that were still inside crash into the bubble, exploding upon impact.

Others were trapped inside of the bubble avoiding collision, helplessly flying around inside trying to find an escape.

At that moment, gun ports from the airship's underbelly opened up on them. They didn’t stand a chance.

I watched in helpless horror as I saw this monster continuously take the lives of so many helpless pilots. I watched as the shells tracing from the warship bounced and glance off of the shield, achieving nothing but sparks.

No voices were heard on the channel. Only stunned silence, until I heard Lucky speak in my right ear.

“Oh, that’s not even FAIR!” He yelled out in frustration.

“Just what the fuck is that monster!?” Bigs joined in.

The Strigons that were inside the shield were loitering around the ship; protecting it I assumed. They can’t get out though... I think. They’re trapped, forced to fight defensively. We can’t do any more damage, and neither can they. That was something, I think. Had they not thought that through?

“Aigaion to Strigon Team, manifestation is complete. Inhibitors are now in full effect!”

“Strigon 1 to Aigaion, roger that.”

Suddenly after that Transmission, the Shield pulsated with the energy of a different kind.

I can only say “different” because of the color it was. The last resonation of the shield I had witnessed was blue, much like the color of the sky. This time though, it was bright maroon. The shield now had a hint of red and blue particles that were - to the best that I could describe it as - “Dancing” around the sphere of the shield.

“Opening gun ports. Howitzers, aim at vector 164 at gridref 547-456. The fire mission is 5 shells. Steering hard left, bearing 056.”

With that, I saw the giant cannons atop the airship swivel toward the east, elevating their guns upward. Meanwhile, the airship steered to the northeast, heading further into the city, where some parts haven’t been damaged by the flames yet.

Then the guns fired.

I saw a flash of light emit from the three howitzers Simultaneously as they released their ordnance. The shells effortlessly glide through the shield from the inside.

At first there was no sound.

Then, a tremendous shockwave washed over the air around me, violently shaking my already damaged aircraft. The blast from the gun alone was enough to create a shockwave, making me terrifyingly skeptical of the damage that weapon could cause.

My eyes were fixed on the sight of this almost mythical beast that flew before me. Time seemed to slow down momentarily. There was chaos ensuing all around me, and yet I felt a strange stillness wrack over me.

Everything felt slow, dissociated, almost like a dream; a dream of me being underwater. My hearing also seemed to fail me. It sounded like I had cotton candy stuffed in the holes.

In utter disbelief I saw hundreds upon hundreds of green and white tracers fly out of the airship and phase through the shield, aiming at the remaining cluster of allied planes that flew idly over the harbor. Many of the planes didn’t have time to react and were shot up badly. I watched helplessly from afar as aircraft caught fire all around and plummet to the earth.

It was a death trap.

And we were caught flies in a web.

“Fuck!” I heard Lucky yell in my right ear, barely hearable through my shell-shocked state. I wasn’t even thinking anymore. It was like I was on autopilot.

I was just going through the motions, to keep moving and to stay alive. But I didn’t feel anything anymore.

I felt hollow and numb, mixed with an uncanny amalgamation of fear and adrenaline.

I felt my aircraft let out a shudder as it was struck by a hail of bullets. There was no hiding from it, we could only dodge it, or try and escape. My mind raced.

How was this possible? How could such a terrifying weapon and creation be allowed to exist without us even getting a hint of its arrival? Until now?, at seemingly the worst possible time?

I could hear garbled and indistinct voices in both ears. I stared silently as the formation of allied planes break apart one by one. With each plane that was shot down, my heart sank even deeper in my chest.

All of the sudden, I could hear again.

There was a pop, and a hissing squelch in my left ear that replaced its previous voices, loud enough for me to snap out of my stunned state and finally focus again. A familiar voice spoke to me.

“Night Light, listen carefully!”

... It was... Doc?

“The enemy is too powerful to fight against. You have no hope of fighting against that thing, not without getting yourself killed. And more of your comrades are falling as each second passes by. We have no information about the airship - this Aigaion - to give us any indication on how we can exploit its vulnerabilities. We can’t risk anymore casualties.

“Which is why you must retreat.” He insisted. I was about to protest until I remember Doc's words about this thing being a one-way device.

“The damage has been done, and staying there any longer will only get you killed and risks us losing the technology you possess.”

Doc’s concern with a piece of tech over pony lives was starting to become unsettling to me. Especially with my life in his hooves.

“Order your squad to pull out of the combat zone, and fly to vector 175, to the south. Fly straight for an hour, and land on the same desert airfield where you took off from when you were missing. Do not fly towards the Blueblood." He speaks the last line with urgent emphasis.

"I will explain everything. For now, though, your top priority should be to survive. Get out of there!” and with that, the same hiss and pop emitted in my left ear, restoring communications.

It took me a moment to realize what Doc had just asked me to do. But once he was gone, the realization sunk in.

I was to desert my position.

“We’ve lost Sapphire Squadron! They’ve all been shot down!” A mare screeched in hoof-pounding terror. More panicked voices flooded the comms channel as I gathered my bearings.

I then realized at that moment that I was forced to make a choice: My new goal from Doc was to escape and survive, and that alone was not very high in probability to succeed.

How much lower would it be if others were doing the same thing? It was either survive with small numbers, and use the cover of the chaos around me to escape, or to guide the others back to safety, away from the storm of bullets. But where would they go?

“Night Light, what should we do now?” Naya asked abruptly, not bothering to hide the fear in her voice as my squad flew close behind me. I gazed at every aircraft around me.

More of us were being shot down.

... I am a coward.

“Okay Garuda Team, listen to me very carefully. We’re pulling out. We have to escape. I…”

I paused, trying to find the right thing to say. How could I convince my team to go AWOL while following me, to lead them to safety?

I couldn’t do so without making it sound like desertion. I decided to just plainly tell them the truth. I silently hoped I knew what I was doing.

“... Fly bearing 175 to the south, and do not stop. Maintain radio silence while doing so. We have to leave the combat airspace, and the Blueblood is not an option.” I lied.

“Wait, Night are you suggesting-” Bigs started to speak.

“Yes, I am.” I blankly finished for him.

No response. I looked back and saw my squad still following...

"That's... That's treason." Lucky's voice whispered.

“Listen to me,” I softly reasoned, “the enemy has already done the damage, and I am getting no word from the Blueblood or from Las Pegasus airfield. Spitfire certainly will not agree with this decision, but it’s either this or we all die! I am giving you a chance here! I’m only offering this because it’s our only chance of survival.”

I realized halfway through my sentence how selfish I was sounding.

I am a coward.

“... it’s your choice. Follow me, or don't. But I won't force you either way.” I reiterated.

No answer was immediately given. Only silence reigned. I cringed as I waited for shouts of outrage and shame, abhorring this aberration.

But Naya broke the silence first with something different.

"Don't weep, for that time has passed. We must endure, however we can. If this is the way, this is the way." She answers. "But I will want answers."

I released a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

Lucky then spoke next. “... I feel like this isn’t going to end well…” He didn't change course despite his cautionary tone. "... But I guess it beats the alternative."

Two down.

Bigs didn’t speak. I was afraid he might actually decline, out of pride or... something else entirely to make him turn away. Or maybe report us.

But before I could speak again to reassure him, he butted in first.

“... Fuck it.” he answered. "Let's do it."

“Then stay close, and stay quiet. Maintain radio silence, and fly inside the clouds.”

I turned off my squad channel and flew southbound.

“All Teams, give me a Sitrep!” I heard Spitfire speak into my right ear. My heart was pounding. I didn’t respond.

Maybe she’ll assume we’re dead if we stay quiet long enough?

I wasn’t sure if I would be able to slip past without being noticed by other passing planes. But amidst the chaos of the battle above Las Pegasus, I thought I might have a chance.

“Garuda Team, respond! Are you still alive?” Her voice was wavering, which I never heard before coming from Spitfire.

I felt guilty for doing this. No, more than that, it felt like I was killing them. I was leaving them behind die. a rational part of my brain tried to reason that it was impossible to save everypony. And I would most certainly die trying. Or even worse, my friends would.

It didn't convince me... I wanted to cry.

“Garuda Team, what’s going on? Respo-” I switched the control panel off, unable to listen to her voice anymore. I also took off the Eavesdropper, seeing as I was farther away from the action to tune in on what they were saying anyway.

I flew south, away from the Inferno. The din of gunfire was gone. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing.

I am a coward.

About 30 minutes have passed, and we were outside of range for anypony who happened to have a radio to tune in on us. I silently stared ahead as my damaged aircraft was shuddering at the damage it sustained.

The last few hours were, no doubt, the most harrowing of my life. The battle over pegasi gulf wasn’t as fear-inducing as this, and the stormy escape over Mead Lake was more of a providence of chance than anything else.

But this? This was the first time I actually felt honest to goddess horrified that I would die. I suddenly felt more appreciative and thankful that my friends survived.

I also had a very fortified suspicion and rage against Doc as well.

He had just ordered me to betray my country and to betray Spitfire as well, leaving them to die. Considering how close he is to Equestrian Military with his ‘profession’, I wondered: what was the point in all of this? Had I made a mistake? A fatal one, perhaps? Why would he want to meet me and my team as well in the middle of a battle?

Why did he choose to trust me with something like the Eavesdropper, only to tell me to betray everything I have to stand for?

I wanted to convince myself that his intentions were good. But the more I thought about it, the more foalish it felt. I felt as though I was wandering into my own demise, being controlled like a marionette. He did help me escape Las Pegasus prior from almost being executed as a Changeling spy, so it was hard to pin down on what set me off about him besides the fact he told me to run away.

I had to give him the benefit of the doubt. He did say he would explain himself once we got here. Which was good, because I had a lot of questions to ask.

My companions stayed quiet during the whole trip thus far as I ordered them to, maintaining radio silence. Quiet tension was ripe in the air, despite being confined in this small cockpit. It felt claustrophobic for me, being a pegasus and all. But I sensed that my friends were still having doubts about my decision, and ultimately my leadership as well.

Finally breaking the silence, I switched on the control panel. “Okay. We should be out of range of any frequency outside of our own.”

Nopony answered. So I continued, “I… I know you’re all having doubts. But, I promise you, I will explain everything… About why we are doing this.”

“Where are we even going?” Lucky asked first, tersely.

“To San Palomino Desert. There’s a derelict, unused airfield there that has been abandoned. We’ll land there, and discuss our plan next there.” I heard a scoff from Bigs in response.

“That doesn’t sound like the soundest plan. And it seems very improvised.”

“It’s better than nothing. And certainly better than dying.” I finished weakly, not so convinced myself.

“Why are we doing this, Night Light? It’s one thing to tactically retreat. But this… this isn’t that.”

“I know. There’s…” I paused, trying to find the right words, but it failed to come to pass.

I wasn’t so sure if this was a good idea myself. I mean, shit, it wasn’t even my idea to begin with.

Doc has to have a good explanation for this, right?

... Doc.

It just came to me, at that moment, that I haven’t even told my friends about him. When they asked about my story, I only told them that I escaped Mead Lake, hitched a ride in Las Pegasus, and flew back to the Blueblood.

I was under the impression at the time that this Eavesdropper, Doc, and all of this whole espionage business was a delicate matter, and one to be kept a secret. So I kept silent about that whole regard.

Now that we were on our way to meet up with him though, I realized that there were going to be a lot more questions afterward because I left them in the dark.

I wished I had told them sooner.

“There is, uh... There’s a certain somepony we are going to meet. His name is Doc. He helped me before. And right now, he’s trying to help all of us again. He’s the reason why we’re going there now, and the reason why I am alive.”

I was about to say I trust him, but that wouldn’t be true.

As polite and helpful as he was, he was very confidential and unusual. And I only spoke to him once, so that wasn’t saying much.

“But why? What’s so important about this ‘Doc’ character anyway? If you ask me, it sounds like a load of horseshit.”

“Because he is the reason I am here right now, and the reason why either of you isn’t lying dead in the metallic coffin that is your plane right now.”

... I’ll admit, it was a rather harsh thing to say. But this was a tense situation. This wasn't the best time for inquiring curiosity.

“There are also some things that I haven’t told you about what happened in Mead Lake. I promise though, when we get there, I will explain everything.”

"... Why not now?" Lucky asked.

"Let's focus on getting there in one piece first, before we start talking."

Again, no response. I felt the doubt of my friends beginning to wash over me, like a cold blanket enveloping my being.

“And then we…”

I paused.

… Shit.

“... Then what?” Grim Hooves asked impatiently.

Oh shit.

How do I lie about this? I can’t just tell an agent of S.M.I.L.E. Headquarters that I just went AWOL in the middle of battle!

It would most certainly get me, or Sunshine into Jail, Prison, or worse!

How do I do this?

Maybe… say that they ordered us to retreat?... no that wouldn’t be very convincing. They’ve never made us retreat unless they knew we were absolutely beaten... which we were, but we still had aircraft left to fight with, and no official order was given. And it still didn't change the fact that I abandoned everypony else.

If I tried to lie, would he know? And if so, would he call me out on my lies? I couldn’t be sure. There were a lot of possibilities. I had to pick my words carefully.

Maybe…

“... We… couldn’t damage it with the shield still activated. It was deflecting everything, and we were under constant fire. I… I saw several other aircraft turn course without saying a word. And in a spark of panic, all communication was disorganized and couldn’t be interpreted. More and more joined them, and all flew away, until we were one of the last few who still remained. At that point, We fled in different directions.

“The, uh… The poor weather we were experiencing had us disorganized, and it made it hard to see. We soon were lost from the group. I found out that my team went the wrong way, and that we missed the fleet to land back on. I tried to turn course, flying back to the designated rendezvous point. But at that point, we were running on fumes, and there wasn’t a plane or ship in sight.”

Grim watched and listened closely, analyzing every bit of information I was feeding him. I stuttered endlessly, but only to fake it and make it look like I was too afraid to relive it, rather than sounding like I was lying through my teeth. It seemed to work; Grim was listening carefully, and the pony next to him (who was still drawing after about 30 minutes) was doing the finishing touches. The drawing that he was doing was impressively similar to the real thing, as he levitated the pencil back and forth, up and down; scritching and scratching along the paper.

“There was no communication with any higher chain of command. We couldn’t keep flying around that same location for too long, given as how low on fuel we were. And Las Pegasus was still burning by the time we left. I doubted their airfields survived at the time, so I… flew southeast. I took a Gamble and hoped to find an airfield somewhere to land before we ran out of fuel.”

“And you found one?” Grim asked.

“Sort of. This airfield was still in one piece and could be landable, but it was derelict. Barren of any life. It was as if though we were the first ones to land there in ages.” It wasn’t true. I was lying through my teeth, but it seemed to be working from what I could tell. Though, Grim still squinted his eyes at me, finding the story a little hard to believe.

“It was a strange set of events, to be sure. Luckily for us, there were abandoned petrol tanks that, by Celestia’s grace, still had some fuel in them. We refilled our tanks as quickly as possible and flew out again… to find the Blueblood. We got lucky…”

“And then what?”

I hoped he bought it.

For about an hour and a half, I flew above churning water, barren hills, flat snowy plains, and deserts. But finally, we’ve arrived. I saw another large, twin-engine airplane parked at the entrance of the single hangar that was off to the side. I then noticed ponies moving around below us, as we touched down on the strip. They’ve arrived first, it seemed. I went first and taxied off to the side of the gravel runway to make room for my friends to land. Bigs came after me, then Lucky, and finally Naya.

I hopped out and hovered over the runway using my wings after I killed the engine, gazing at the landscape around me. It was mid-evening. Being it December, the air felt somewhat cool. There were clouds in the sky, but it wasn’t overcast. The sun was currently behind a cloud at this moment, hiding its rays of warmth. There was no snow, and it was nowhere near cold enough to start snowing. It felt… ‘normal’ was the only word I could think of.

My friends trotted up behind me, gazing at the desert and several different cacti that littered the landscape. “Where is this ‘Doc’ we’re supposed t’ be meetin’?” Lucky asked, his expression morphing into something like recognition.

“He’s here, just follow me,” I spoke, hoping that he actually was here, and not just late. I saw a small group of ponies, and… a griffon, trotting toward us. I met up with them, my friends following close behind.

When I got closer to them, I immediately recognized the griffon; it was the same one who helped watch over me after Doc knocked me unconscious, in this very same spot.

Now that she wasn’t shrouded in darkness since the last time I saw her, I got a better look at her features. Her fur was Amber, with streaks of White that looked somewhat like lightning bolts tracing along her flanks and abdomen. Her eyes, one of them having a cut scar underneath its cheek, were colored teal.

Another thing I noticed about her was that she had no tail. I didn’t see it since the last time I saw her, but there was a short and furry stump between her flanks where her tail should be. It looked as if it was cut off.

“Fancy meeting you here again, eh?” The griffon spoke, in her gruff-sounding tone. There were other ponies dressed similarly in long black coats that covered most of their bodies, including their flanks. Doc wasn’t found among them.

"'Again'?" Naya asked quizzically.

“Where’s Doc?” I rasped, suddenly realizing how thirsty I was.

“He’s in the Hangar with the other eggheads. Something about radios. Told me you were coming here.” She leaned over to my left, staring at my friends behind me. “Though, I wasn’t expecting four of you to show up.”

“They’re a part of my team. These are my friends.” I waved a hoof toward them as I made introductions. Lucky gave a 'Howdy', Naya gave a solemn bow, and Bigs shrugged.

“Oh. Cool.” She deadpanned. “Anyway, Doc’s expecting you at the hangar. Sometimes it’s hard to get his attention, he’s pretty drawn into his work.” She joked as she turned and trotted towards the hangar before stopping. “By the way, he only wants to talk to you, Night Light. Your friends will have to wait outside the hangar or something.”

I turned to gaze at my companions, who were trading looks of disapproval with one another before Lucky piped up, “We didn’t just desert our country and our army to wait outside of a hangar. We’re going with her, and that’s that.” He put his hoof down, emphasizing his words with each stomp. The Griffon looked unimpressed.

“That’s up to him, not me. I was told to have you wait outside.” she paused, contemplating, “But if you can change his mind, then I don’t care.” she shrugged.

“Does this ‘Doc’ always have to be this secretive? I feel like all of this Cloak and Dagger is pointless.” Naya inquired, as we all trotted closer to the hangar.

She did raise a valid point. I had mixed emotions boiling up in my head about him.

“Can’t be too careful. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, especially in war. The enemy would, quite literally, kill to get their hooves on a lot of things. And in a world filled with spies, can you blame him?” She strutted forward, her hind legs swaying along with her hips which made me couldn’t help but stare.

She was a Griffon, yes, but an attractive one at that. At least, as attractive as Griffons can be. I don’t know if it was because of her casual demeanor or the fact that I haven't been with Sunshine in a year, but it made me feel flushed on my cheeks. I shook my head, trying to clear my head of such thoughts.

“Hey, Doc! The Ponies you talked about are here!” She yelled toward the small group of ponies that were all surrounding a weird contraption that was connected to some kind of black string. I then realized on closer inspection that it was a supercomputer, one of the very few that existed. What was one of those doing out here?

One white pony with a blonde mane emerges from the hangar, immediately staring at me. His eyes widened as they lock on mine.

He turns back to his group, mouthing something to them I couldn’t hear, before trotting towards us with a smile.

“Welcome, Garuda Team.” He greeted us with seemingly sincere gratitude. “First of all, I truly am sorry that I had requested you all to do what you did to get here. Let me reassure you, however, that I can get that squared away when you’re done here. Maybe not immediately, but at least you won’t go to prison for it.”

My friends and I glanced at each other with timid confusion. Doc, not missing a beat, kept going, “Secondly, I also would wish to speak to Night Light alone, before I announce what I am gonna do for you all.” He stared hard at me, twitching his eye pupils to his right at the Hangar, not moving his head. His facial expressions never shifted while doing this, and only I managed to notice it.

I paused. “But-”

“Nuh-uh!” Lucky interrupted. “She promised us an explanation, and I want one now!”

“That is the plan my good fellow, but I must discuss with Night Light very shortly about an important matter first.”

“Mind telling us what that important matter Is all about? And what is more important than us deserting our posts?”

Doc paused, his face stern with a noticeable frown.

“Such information that I am disclosing is for ponies of a higher military rank, one that Night Light just so happens to be a part of.” Noticing my and my friends' looks of disgusted disapproval, he relented, “If Night Light wants to tell you about it afterward, she’s more than welcome to. But I can’t.” He paused for a breath. “Now with that being said; Night Light? Would you kindly follow me?”

“We’re in the shit,” Doc muttered gravely to me, as we both stood inside the room of the big Hangar, my friends waiting by their planes as they were guarded by private scientists (who somehow have weapons on them.)

“This whole country is now in Deep. Fucking. Shit.” He finished.

“Why? What in Tartarus is going on?” My mind raced back at burning Las Pegasus, and the airship. “And do you have any fucking idea what the fuck that thing over Las Pegasus was?!”

“What happened? Doc, what’s going on?” The Griffon asked, more alert and concerned than before.

“That thing over Las Pegasus was a secret weapon,” Doc mumbled, staring at the floor.

“Wh- but… wha-... But what the fuck was it?!” I exclaimed

“An airship. One of massive proportions and lethality.”

“An Airship?! Oh, that’s just fucking great!” The griffon yelled in frustrated sarcasm. “First they firebomb Las Pegasus, and now they have an airship to boot? Doc, you know that we can't win air superiority like that, not with that fucking thing in the air!”

“I know!” Doc bellowed. He gives a hoarse sigh as he sweeps a hoof over his mane. “Yes, I am all too aware. Thank you, Boltwing, for reminding me of the current shitty situation that we find ourselves in when I’m already fucking aware!”

Boltwing. So that’s her name.

Said Boltwing was silent after Doc’s remark, staring away with a disgruntled scoff.

“Night Light, we’ve intercepted multiple different enemy frequencies because of your efforts today. But that’s not gonna do much if an indestructible airship is flying around. Especially with a shield barrier.” Doc tapped a hoof on his chin, staring away from me.

“Changelings aren’t so good at magic as some specially trained unicorns are, but they are exceptionally skilled at magical engineering. I doubt that a crew of changelings could do such a task of maintaining an Airship, but magical engineering can. This has to be the work of that.” He paused for a breath. “But only ponies could hope to accomplish something even remotely possible to that. And yet, the Changelings did so almost effortlessly. So either..."

He begins to pace back and forth. "Either they are several years ahead of the curve, and several more ahead of our estimates - which doesn't seem possible - or..." He paused. "Or they had help from those who do know how to accomplish such feats."

“You think there might be traitors? Helping the Changelings?” Boltwing suggested.

“Maybe, but nothing solid… yet. I intend to find out.”

“Traitors? Why and how could anypony do such a thing? Especially with Changelings?!” I berated. It didn’t make any sense!

What sort of benefit could they possibly gain from this? Was it money? Did they do it out of spite?

“Oh it’s quite easy really,” Boltwing spoke wryly. “You just go away from the action, and keep living like nothing happened. Just like how you did. I wonder what’ll Spitfire think?”

A dagger skewered my heart. I wanted to reply but found I had no words to say. Doc interrupted my thoughts.

“Bolt, that’s enough! We’re all on edge as it is, we don’t need your fucking attitude now!”

"No reason?!" she screeched, indignant. "Well, it’s not my fault that I’m upset that you asked Night Light to abandon Goldbeak over Las Pegasus! I have every right to be upset." Boltwing said the word with a malicious tone of voice. “It’s not my fault that he’s possibly dead because a few ponies can’t seem to get their shit together!” Bolt pointed a claw at me. “And most importantly, it’s certainly not my fault that you can't find a way to save him! So whose fault is it then, HUH?!” She was yelling now, her voice shaking. She looked like she was holding back tears.

I didn’t know who this “Goldbeak” was that she kept referring to. But given how passionate she sounded about him, she cared for them greatly.

"ENOUGH!" Doc bellowed, forgoing his patient tone with a voice of pained authority.

“I don’t like this any more than you do! But would you rather have, Boltwing!? That most of them died, or that all of them died? Pick your poison, because those Changelings already made their choice. They were planning on slaughtering everyone! At least this way, the damage is mitigated.”

A deafening silence filled the room after Doc’s uncharacteristic outburst. Only the sound of electronics from the dozens of small machines - including the supercomputer outside of the door - could be heard. Boltwing turned to look at me, her face morphed into something of pain and anger, before dashing out of the door. She didn’t fly. Just ran.

Doc gave out a weary sigh, before sitting down on his haunches. He levitated his glasses off his face, using a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the smudge off. “I'm sorry you had to see that,” he spoke, much more reserved in tone, “Boltwing she... she has been trying to keep me sane for so long that I...”

He stopped himself.

"... You do not know Goldbeak, do you?" Doc suddenly asks.

I shake my head.

"He's Boltwing's Brother." he spoke with a simple certainty. "And his probably dead by now."

He then clutched his head with his hooves, as if he was in pain. “Fucking Migraines,” he whispered, though I assumed to himself rather than to me. "Give me a short minute, please. I need to clear my head."

I nodded at him and trotted over to one of the small machines that constantly made ‘beep’ and ‘whirr’ noises. Computers, I assumed. It was still a relatively new technology. I wasn’t familiar with it at all. I was smart but nowhere near as intelligent as Doc was to make heads or tails on how this thing worked.

I frowned at the sight of it.

“You know,” I spoke first, “It’d be a lot easier for me to trust you if you weren’t so cryptic.”

“If you’re in my line of work, you’ll one day understand.”

"And is that supposed to make me trust you?" I retorted.

"No." he answers with confidence.

I sigh. I wanted to say more, do more than just wait. But I had no choice anyway. I was at his mercy.

I turned to look at the group of ponies who were conversing with one another while they were working on their supercomputer, some of them trading glances in my general direction out of curiosity. But they said nothing to us.

I heard shuffling sounds behind me, noticing Doc pulling out a long, paper-like rod filled with… some kind of herb in it. He then pulled out a small, metallic box from his right pocket, and opened the top, revealing a little sparkwheel and… some kind of flint striker.

Using his magic, he pushed down on the sparkwheel, and the button below it at the same time. There was a ‘flick’, and a small flame was soon emitting from it.

Doc placed the paper rod in his mouth, hovering the small flame to the end of it, before taking several small puffs of smoke from it. He stowed the lighter, then closed his eyes and waited… before simultaneously exhaling and sighing in relief. A cloud of smoke floated out of his lips, like how a dragon would snore.

Doc, with the rod in his mouth still, opened his eyes and spoke to me, “Night Light… let me ask you a question. Let’s just say, hypothetically speaking, that you are the commander of an army. An army that is trapped across a frozen river with little room for escape. You’re surrounded everywhere except behind you. And with each passing day, the enemy grows stronger, while yours grows weaker. You’re better supplied, but they are better disciplined. You have no hope of advancing without taking massive casualties, due to the freezing winter. And if you do try to escape, the enemy will swarm and encircle you to kill every last one of your soldiers.” He paused for a breath, staring intensely in my eyes. “Seriously consider this situation. Would you fight, flee, or stay where you are?”

I didn’t answer. I contemplated his words carefully. Knowing Doc’s straightforwardness, I assumed that was a situation he, if not somepony else, is dealing with. My mind couldn’t make up an answer. Doc must’ve caught on my hesitation, because he spoke before I could answer.

“Exactly.” He muttered, before taking another puff from his… what is that thing called? “I am not saying I am a commander of an army, but I am saying that the situation is grim enough that every minute decision that backfires could potentially kill thousands. And even if we succeed, ponies will die either way.”

My heart sank a little. I had no real connection with any of those ponies (except, terrifyingly enough, maybe Sunshine Tempest) but the idea of so many ponies dying no matter what happens is dishearteningly tragic.

“Night Light, let me make something absolutely clear for you. Bad things…” he paused, as if he was trying to select his words carefully. He spoke slowly, deliberately, “Bad things will happen no matter what anypony does. No matter what happens next, ponies are going to die.”

I felt something pulling on my heart at those words. “I want to make sure you understand, Night Light. In case if you are having any doubts: it’s not your fault for what happened over Las Pegasus… no matter what Boltwing might’ve said.”

“I know,” I muttered weakly. I wasn’t sure what to think anymore. My mind was still numb from the hazy shell shock state that I had experienced earlier. I couldn’t think straight.

“And I know that you feel guilty for abandoning your comrades, like how I have instructed your team to do so. Please understand, that if there was a better alternative, I would’ve never considered this option. The point is, what’s done is done.” He paused, contemplating for a moment before sucking in a big puff from his rod again. Another cloud of smoke billowed outward.

“And I also know that what I am gonna say next is not something that you don't wanna hear, but... about the Eavesdropper; Your friends—nopony, really—can know about the Eavesdropper. And nopony can know about your desertion either.”

I stared at Doc with a confused frown. “Okay, so barring from the fact that you want me to lie about my treason: you want me to keep more secrets from my friends as well? Especially after what you’ve told us to do?”

“Please, let me explain.” he slowly answered, speaking in a careful tone.

I didn't want to let him explain, truth be told. All of this sounded like madness to my shell-shocked brain. But curiosity won out the tug-of-war in my brain just in time to allow Doc to continue.

“The fate of this war, of our country and our way of life, is at risk. And right now, we are not winning. I want to change that. I want to help win this war, and end this insanity as quickly as fucking possible.” he spoke those last words through a grimace. “I understand your mistrust and frustration, but we cannot let your friends interfere with this. I mean, fuck, Night Light; I wasn’t even supposed to give you the Eavesdropper in the first place! So really, we shouldn’t even be having this conversation.”

“Then why did you?”

That was the million bit question, wasn't it? If he wasn't supposed to give it to me, and I wasn't supposed to be here, why did he?

I thought back to what would happen if I didn't fly back to Las Pegasus after Mead Lake: would I even make it back to the Blueblood? Or would I be transferred to somewhere else? Would I even have met Doc? Would I have even fought over Las Pegasus? And if I did... would I have survived?

All these questions, but no answers.

Doc gives me a revering look of admiration, coupled with a faint smile. “Well, let's see: A stranded pilot beats all odds stacked against her after being shot down behind enemy lines. She flew over a battlefield and at least a hundred kilometers to the nearest metropolitan city, convinced a pair of guards to let her through after they’ve assumed you were a changeling spy,”

“Wait, how did you know about-”

Doc kept talking over me, not missing a beat. “Not to mention the fact that you—along with your squadron—shot down about 15 Strigon aircraft before you made your way to me. And finally, because: after all of that… you survived." his smile widens just a tad. "That kind of resourcefulness isn’t common, you know? You defied death after winning against the house against a rigged pot with a terrible hand to play. You were the best pony I’ve got.”

Doc took another puff, the rod becoming more and more degraded with each hit he took. “All of this we are doing now? It isn’t legal. That’s why this has to be swept under the rug. And that’s why I want you to keep this quiet. And I know what I ask of you is no small task. You may be my best hope at exploiting a weakness in the enemy.

“You may be our best hope as to figuring out what the fuck this ‘Aigaion’ is, and how to stop it. You may be our best hope of dealing a blow to the enemy that is painful enough to make them wince.

“You may be our best hope at taking the fight to the enemy, Night Light.”

I sat hard on my haunches, my head spinning at the sudden wealth of information. The overwhelming responsibility that had been just thrown at me was suffocating. I felt myself attempting to hyperventilate.

Doc walked up to me, his rod still in his snout. He gave me a brown paper bag to breathe into, of which I gladly took. A few moments of calming my heart and slowing my breathing had passed, Doc standing away from me with that same patience I've come to characterize him with. I stared at the ground for a moment, feeling a little better. Not good, but better.

Finally, I looked up at him, and asked with a tone of doubt,

“Why?" I asked with desperation, "Why am I doing all of this? I was just a simple mare with a boring life before all this! I’m not special!”

I openly showed the side of my flank to him, my cutie mark visible. “I am not blessed with some magical talent of saving the world, am I?! My mark is just a moon and a star! I don't even know what that even means! They are nothing but just spots that fill a black void in the sky! They do nothing! Nothing!!”

I was on the verge of tears as I screamed those words. they stung in the corner of my eyes. “I… I miss Sunshine, I miss my home, I miss my boring life, I miss not having to kill anything! I just…” I looked up to Doc, noticing his pained expression as tears streamed down my cheeks. “I just want to go home!”

I sounded like a filly crying for their mommy. How pathetic, I must look, from his perspective

Doc took a step back. He looked away for a moment, trying to morph his expression into something that didn't akin to shock. He gave a series of rapid blinks. Finally, he looked at me in the eye, his expression stoic, yet calm.

“I’m sorry,” he spoke lowly. “I’m sorry that this is happening to you. I’m sorry this is happening at all.” He stared down at the floor. “My job, as Princess Luna had personally ordered me to do so, is - as she said it - to Win the War.” he spoke those words as he looked at me in the eyes once again, more determined than calm now.

“And that is what I intend to do.”

I look up at him waiting for him to deliver some kind of speech how I am a chosen one or... something. I don't even know anymore. I feel like I am lost in the Everfree with no map. One wrong step and I am dead.

Instead, Doc sat down on his haunches in front of me and offered one of his stuffed paper rods to me from his pack.

Through the tears, I sniff deeply to regain my composure and voice my confusion.

"I... I don't know what that is."

He raised an eyebrow at that. "Really? Its—... Actually," he stows it away with a slight frown. "Probably for the best you don't start. You'll never quit otherwise."

He never answered what they were called.

"Look, I am... bad at this type of thing, Night Light." he awkwardly clears his throat. "I just want to say this: Whatever happens in the future, no matter if the world has turned its back on you, or if they are out to get you: I am not going to leave you behind. I will do what I can to make sure you get through this in one piece. And giving you the Eavesdropper is my way of doing that. It is the least I can do."

It felt weird hearing this from him. But strangely, I felt a warm glow at those words. It was comforting, knowing somepony still understood the truth.

"What now?" I asked.

"Drying off your tears would be a good start," He replied wryly, "then we discuss how you get back home..."

After that debate, and a lengthy radio conversation between Doc and somepony on the other line, I remember trotting out of the hangar with Doc alongside. I attempted to hide the crying episode I had, but my puffy eyes made it obvious to my friends… I doubt they didn’t notice. Each of them carried an awkward look about them, refusing to see me in the eye and instead looking past me if not looking at Doc. I suddenly realized they must've also heard me break down in the hangar from afar.

I wondered how much they heard. I wondered if they would turn their backs on me after this.

“Ponies, we have good news,” Doc spoke to my friends. “Your planes are refueled, and you are free to go back to the Blueblood now. We made contact with the carrier, and have informed them that you were lost in the chaos. They will not assume you deserted if you hurry back now.”

My friends looked at each other, baffled and annoyed. “Wait a goddamn minute!” Bigs spoke first. “You mean to tell me that, even after we fucking abandoned everypony over at that gulf,” Bigs gave me a cold stare as he spoke those words, making me feel like a vice was tugged around my heart, “that we can just mosey on back to the carrier,” he made a walking motion with his two front hooves as he sat on his haunches “without them even saying a word about it?”

Doc maintained his expression and replied, “Correct. How open-minded of you to assume that.” he stated sarcastically.

“I refuse to believe it’s that easy,” Lucky said, a bit suspiciously. “What makes you think we could trust you when you didn’t even explain what the hell is going on?” Lucky exclaimed.

Doc smiled. It was somewhat mocking. “Ah, I was hoping you would say that!” He then turned toward me, making my heart skip a small beat. In fear. “Night Light here can tell you all about me. You do remember that promise she gave you, right?” Doc asked, to which Lucky looked slightly appalled, yet also apprehensive.

“Uh…” I stuttered.

“Well, at some point she will.” Doc corrected.

“L-look, he is a friend of ours. He may not seem like it, but he has helped us so far, and the least we can do is be thankful. I mean, the only reason we’re going back at all is because of this guy.” I finished.

Each of them cringed at those words. Me included.

I wished I could take it back immediately.

Naya looked at Doc with creeping suspicion but relented when she saw the pleading look in my eye. She sighed, then spoke, “I trust Night Light. If she says he’s good, phe’s good.”

Lucky stared at Naya in disbelief. “You’re gonna trust him that easily?”

Bigs spoke afterward, “I still think that seems too good to be true.”

“I assure you, this is serious business. And if you don’t get to the coordinates at the designated time selected on these maps,” Doc levitated a document folder with several… well, maps, sticking out. “You may not be qualified as ‘missing’, and more as ‘AWOL’. Then you really will be tried for treason. And that is not a threat, that is a promise.”

Lucky and Bigs looked in different directions, thinking alone to their thoughts with disgruntled looks. Finally after about a minute, Lucky spoke. “Fine.”

Bigs then deflated with a sigh, knowing that the decision was final. “Alright, fuck it.”

“Excellent!” Doc announced. "I would suggest you two would get going. Make it back before sundown and things will be fine."

A mute nod was given from each of us as we turned our backs on Doc and towards our aircraft.

I turn back one last time to see Doc trotting away wordlessly, with Boltwing nowhere to be found.

But somehow, I knew. She was watching me leave from somewhere, with disdain.

I turned back to the aircraft, trotting faster...

“... We found it. After about an hour and 10 minutes of searching, we found the Blueblood and landed safely on it.”

The scribe pony was, by this point, filling in the small shades of his design. Finally, after about 30 seconds later, he announced, “Done!”.

Grim grabbed hold of the documents and inspected the drawing. His face then… changed. It morphed into something of fear and Intrigue. It disturbed me. Then he turned to look at me, then did a double take on the picture.

“... Huh. This is…” Grim didn’t finish. He kept staring at the drawing, admiring its details and the way it was drawn. Then, he looked above the paper into my eyes.

“This is what the airship looked like?” Grims asked as he showed me the paper. The sketch that the scribe pony drew was scarily accurate to what I described it as. Almost everything was on point. Some of the propellers were in the wrong spots, but I didn’t care about the drawing. Grim did.

“More or less, yeah.” I answered. “Now can we go home?”

Grim opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the door opening again. One of those “Agents” that picked up me and Sunshine this morning trotted through the door. “Apologies for the interruption,” he spoke in that ever so familiar and lifeless drawl. “But Number 2 is unwilling to cooperate. She explicitly says that she wants to see her beloved, and will refuse to talk unless that happens.”

Grim looked at me with an annoyed frown. He then looked at the scribe pony who was patiently sitting in his chair, waiting for instructions. Then, Grim sighed, long and heavy.

“Figures she would. Escort them back to their homes.”

I did a double-take between the agent and Grim. The agent in question also seemed to have been a bit surprised at this response, though he tried to hide it. If I could’ve seen his eyes underneath those black glasses, I might’ve seen them widen.

“Arrive at their home again tomorrow, and pick them up in the late morning. We’re not done entirely, but they’ve been here long enough anyway.”

The agent looked at me with a blank expression, before nodding to Grim, “Understood.”

“Wait, you’re… you’re serious?” I asked with reluctance. “We get to go home?”

“Don’t get your hopes up, this isn’t over. Yes, you and your companion can leave, but you are required to return here until they’re finished with her, and you.”

I gazed out of the window. The sky had been tinted to an amber color, the sun just now out of sight behind the building to the west. It was around 4 or 5, based on my judgement of time.

I didn’t like this. Even after spending hours here, I still had to come back… just what is it about Sunshine that was so important to them anyway?

… But I asked to go home, and they were giving that to me… even if just for one night, it’s still one night with Sunshine by me.

“... Fair enough.”

We were riding the chariot from Canterlot back to Cloudsdale, Sunshine sitting next to me. My wing was embraced around her, as we silently watched the clouds float by around us. I found Sunshine was already waiting for me by the time I got back to the landing pad for our chariots. After exchanging a quick embracing hug, we both boarded the chariot and were on our way home.

Sunshine kept staring away from me, a pained expression on her face. My mind reeled at the events that had occurred today. From us being escorted out of our home, having Sunshine being restrained to a chair, to being escorted back. Sunshine hadn’t spoken much since we were reunited.

“Are you okay?” I asked with worry, afraid I might set off her… what did that pony say it was again? PTSD? I had no idea what that was, and could only assume that it was bad.

“I’m fine.” she deadpanned. I didn’t buy it. I slowly used my other wing to embrace her again, to which she stiffened slightly. But eventually, she relented and returned the hug. She buried her face in my mane and stayed there for a moment. Both of us were silent.

“We’re five minutes out!” one of the ponies dragging the chariot yelled. I nodded. I then turned my attention back to Sunshine, after softly kissing her forehead.

“You know you can tell me anything, right?” I gently reminded her. She looked away. “I promise I won’t judge or get mad, or anything.”

She didn’t reply. She continued to stare away. After a half minute of silence, she spoke, “I don’t like them.” her voice was filled with angst. “Something about those ponies when they were interrogating me made me feel… uneasy. Like I was being played like a puppet for them, or something like that.”

“I don’t like it either,” I admitted, not sure what else to say. They weren’t hostile to us, but they also made no effort to convince us they were the ‘good guys’ either, which made me question the morality of their ‘investigation’.

“Did they hurt you?” Sunshine asked, catching me off guard of such a question.

“No, not physically.” I then thought back to Sunshine being tied to a chair. “Did they really restrain you during your session?”

Sunshine looked painful… and sad. “Yeah, a little bit. I had another panic attack. Except for this time, I was more… violent.” She stopped abruptly, her voice slightly cracking, not wanting to talk anymore. I stayed silent for the rest of the flight.

But I was curious what she meant when she said she was ‘a little’ restrained.

We arrived at our hometown and our home street when the chariot touched down on the clouds. The pegasi agents that had been following our chariots this morning and this evening landed beside us. “This chariot will return here again tomorrow at approximately eleven in the morning. Once again, you will be required to join us and-”

“Yes yes, we get it. We’ll be waiting.” Sunshine interrupted. “We’ll be on our way then.” she nudged my flank as she trotted by, urging me to follow her.

The agent ponies remained stoic but nodded. They then took off on their own accord, the chariot ponies following behind with their vehicle. Soon, they flew out of sight. I turned to look at our home, only to find Sunshine nowhere in sight with the front door wide open.

I trotted in and made my way to the couch. As I collapsed on it, I heard the water running from the kitchen sink. Sunshine was probably making dinner, I assumed. I suddenly realized how hungry I was. Being locked in a room for hours doesn’t do wonders for my stomach.

There was still daylight pouring through the windows, but judging by the golden tint of light it resonated, I doubt that would last long. It was well past Evening. The marketplace should still be open should the need arise.

The faucet in the kitchen stopped. I then heard hoofsteps move away from it and head upstairs towards my room. Our room. Sunshine trudged along slowly, not saying a word.

“Sunshine?” I asked feebly, as she continued to trot towards the door. Soon after, she closed it behind her.

I groaned, as I sat up on the couch and stretched my wings. Deciding dinner could wait, I trotted up towards our room. I turned the doorknob, opening the door to find sunshine laying on our bed face first, motionless.

No… no, not motionless. Her shoulders were heaving, and I heard a choking sound.

My heart ached at the sight of her. I slowly trotted my way to her, and gently sat on the ground beside the bed. She didn’t notice me, I think. I contemplated what to do, or what to say, drawing a blank in my mind. I didn’t know what to do. So, I did the only thing I could do that made sense.

I hugged her.

I laid next to her on my side, and spread my wings around her, pulling her close to my chest as she continued to sob. She didn’t resist. She wrapped her hooves around my torso as I pulled her close. Warm tears were dripping my coat, but I didn’t care. My attention was focused on Sunshine. I gently stroke her mane with my hooves. Her withers continued to heave, as I kept trying to soothe and comfort her.

After about 5 minutes of caressing her, she eventually calmed down to the point where her tears were less intense, instead of her full-on sobbing. She eventually looked up to me, guilt and sadness covering her expression. She then looked away after seeing the caring look in my eyes.

“Are you okay?” I asked as gently as I could, not trying to sound upset or anything of the sort. Sunshine didn’t answer. She still looked away. I placed a hoof under her chin and pointed her face at me.

I looked into her eyes again, which were gleaming from the tears she had shed.

“Feel better?” I asked gently, as I smiled faintly.

“Yeah… a little,” she replied quietly. “Sorry. I haven’t had a breakdown like that in a while,” she muttered as she wiped her eyes with her wings.

“It’s okay. I understand.” I reassured her as I held her close to me. Her face was half buried in my mane. She stopped crying, for now at least. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Sunshine looked away for a moment, then looked me straight in the eyes. Tears were forming in the corners of her eyes again before she tightly embraced me again.

“Just…” She whispered, barely able to keep her voice from cracking again. “Just don’t leave me again. Please. Just don’t.” She pleaded. I knew that wasn’t possible for tomorrow. We would have to be separated again. But I knew she was talking about the war. It didn’t matter now, though. All that mattered was here and now. I kissed her forehead again.

“I won’t. I promise I won’t.” I whispered in her ear, as we both silently held each other for just a little longer, thankful for the fact that the ordeal that split us apart was over.

Although… I was curious. I wondered what happened with Sunshine while we were separated. I knew I wasn’t going to get an answer easily… and at that moment, I didn’t really care. It was more of a suspicious curiosity that I didn’t want to act upon. Still… the thought lingered in the back of my mind.

I suppose maybe one day, I’ll find out soon enough. But for now, I held my lover in my hooves, as we both basked in the presence of each other for a little longer.

I slowly entered the room, and the door shut behind me almost instantly. I looked around the room, finding nothing else worth noting. So I sat down, and I began waiting for whoever wished to speak to me.

A minute passed by. 2 minutes. 3. I shuffled my hooves together, and stretched my wings, looking for some way to pass the time. 5 minutes. Still nothing. I yawned from the silence and boredom.

The doors suddenly opened, revealing an entirely different pony. This one was a Mare Earth Pony, with a pale coat and Blue mane. The Mane had a pink strip near her right eye. there was wrapped candy on her flank as her Cutie Mark.

“Hello, Sunshine Tempest.” She spoke, more cheerful and energized than the boring, monotone agents from earlier. “My name is Agent Bon Bon.”

I stared at the pale mare with confusion. “What is going on here?” I asked.

She smiled. A warm smile, which made me even more dubious of her. “You’re here because there are certain ponies who wish to know you a little more.” she answered, as she sat on one of the chairs with her haunches. She had no clothing and had no papers, pens, or any item with her. She only brought herself. “In other words - as much as I hate this word - you’re being interrogated.”

I felt a shot of panic swell up in me. Not a big shot, but enough to shake my breathing just a little. She continued, “I understand that you are a veteran soldier of The Great War. And that you were drafted from it since the very beginning. Am I correct?”

“Yes.” I answered quickly.

“Splendid. Do you know what that means for you?”

I shook my head.

“Well, it means several things. For starters, you are a unique pony. You survived what is considered to be the most destructive and deadliest conflict in world history. Secondly - because you survived the deadliest war in history - you are susceptible to receive bonuses due to your contribution. That much I’m sure you’re already aware of, given the… expensive nature of your home.” She maintained her positive demeanor… which made me uneasy, considering this pony was working for the same group of ponies that separated me and Night Light. “And lastly, It means that you know first hoof - from beginning to end - what happened. And that much cannot be said for a lot of ponies. Actually, if you want me to be specific, it cannot be said for,” she looked up at the ceiling with her eyes, mouthing something to herself, before turning back to me, “About three million ponies cannot say that.” this time, she spoke in a grim but somewhat empathetic tone.

I felt my heart stop for a split second. Three million…? That was more than I had ever anticipated. Now I felt guilty for being able to sit here and think about that number, when there was a very real chance that I could’ve been a part of that number. Just another digit in a list.

“And because you survived 7 years of continuous warfare… you have-... had, a high military ranking. And you were there on very special missions because of that, were you?” Bon Bon gave me a very piercing look with her eyes. Even through her shades, I could see her eyes frown in a way that made me feel insecure.

“Am I wrong?” she asked again.

“No. You’re not.”

“I figured. I had a good look at some of the recorded backgrounds of each engagement you happen to be in.”

She stopped. Then turned her whole body towards me, and slowly trotted forward. Sh then stood on her hind legs, and slammed her forehooves on the table, making me recoil away suddenly.

“And… a little bird told me that you happen to witness something really… big in the final years of the war as well. Like… a big weapon? Or a big vehicle? Or a big army?” she kept asking.

“See, that’s the thing. We don’t know for sure. And I have been ordered to find out. That said order was given to me by Princess Celestia herself, as she told me to find out what happened. And that is what I am going to do, Sunshine. I need you to help me.”

I gave her a look of frightened confusion. “Help with what?”

“Help me understand what happened. I want to know what was going on in your life on the frontlines, to get an understanding on what this ‘big thing’ that keeps popping up in your combat log is.”

I stared at her, long and hard. No facial movements were made by either at us, as we had an impromptu staring contest. Finally, I spoke, slowly, “Where should I start?”

“Start from the time where you first caught on to it, and keep going from there. And no lollygagging either. The only thing I want to know is what happened with your involvement on this big thing.”

I gazed down, thinking hard, and wondering if I should comply… I mean, she hadn’t exactly asked nicely. And she seemed awfully pressed to pry that information out of me.

“I can try, but you’re gonna have to tone it down a notch if you want me to cooperate.” I spoke passive-aggressively. She gave me another hard frown, before sighing.

“Whatever suits you. Just tell me what I wanna know.”

“Okay. You know I was deployed first at the Ruby Mountains, right?”

“Yes.”

“It doesn’t start there. I have to go further along when this thing was first mentioned. But my friends and I have been doing this goose chase since the very beginning, getting strange orders left and right with Ponies, Griffons, Deer, and Changelings all over the Equestrian Continent.

“If you really want to understand what happened, I need to start from a little earlier back.”

“How far back?” Bon Bon asked.

“Since 1014. Three years after it began.”

She looked away for a moment, contemplating. Then she replied, still looking away, “Fine. Go on.”

“Okay.” I stared at my hooves. It dawned on me at that moment, that I was gonna to relive the past all over again; something I would much rather move past, then move back to. And I was doing so because Celestia herself wanted Bon Bon to do this! Maybe not like this specifically, but she probably didn’t even think too much about how it was going to be done anyway!

But, Night Light and I were back together now. It’s all over. It’s not real anymore. I just have to remember it. Not relive every detail. I could do this. Maybe.

“I was… I was near the West Coast of the continent. It’s about… Mid-April, I think. A Cold Night. We were 156 miles south of Tall Tales, a City had citizens who faced occupation for 3 years now. We were on the way to liberate it.

“But my Division… we were special. I didn’t tell Night Light that. I lied to her. I did start on the Ruby Mountains, but I was no regular foot grunt. I was a Pegasus. We had a serious tactical advantage of the enemy. We could fly. We didn’t have to worry about hiking across mountains, or clearing through a forest, or any terrain really.

“That being said, I knew there was something unique about us since the very beginning. In April, when we were that close to Tall Tales, my division - along with a handful of others, conducted airborne operations. We went all over the different parts of the world that we were in. I was a part of the ‘Cloudsdale.' That correct?”

“Yes.”

“Is your significant other aware of your deeds?"

"... No."

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t want her to experience the pain I had endured for the last 7 years. I lost so much while I was out there. But I survived. I suppose that was courageous of me, or something, but it doesn’t feel like it. I feel guilty.”

“... Survivors Guilt. It’s a common problem with veterans today.”

“Right..." I pondered for a moment. "The first operation that involved it was in Vanhoover. We wanted to do a sneak attack from behind. We didn’t know, however, that what we found there was actually there at all. We had no idea what we were about to witness.”

“What did you witness?”

Vanhoover.

I saw it as a city of lights. Out of every building, the night sky was illuminated by a shred of light emitting out of each window.

But there was also another kind of light. Yes, it was indeed a city of lights.

It was also a city of searchlights and air raid sirens.

And it would soon become a city of corpses.

I'm not dead. I intend to finish this story, one way or another.
Thank you for staying patient <3